Carrier for tobacco harvester



July 2, 1957 A. SHAVER CARRIER FOR TOBACCO HARVESTER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.Filed Sept. 2, 1955 m a m E m A H S .w L E V E A 30m July 2, 1957 A.1.. SHAVER CARRIER FOR TOBACCO HARVESTER Filed Sept. 2, 1955 5Sheets-Sheet 2 R .m E WW H 5 L L.Y EB v R A 3 7 E v N M .W

A. SHAVER 2,797,822

CARRIER FOR TOBACCO HARVESTER July 2, 1957 Filed Sept. 2, 1955 5Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. 9

ARVEL Lawn/ER.

ATT'O RN EYS Jag-5 July 2, 1957 A. L. SHAVER CARRIER FOR TOBACCOHARVESTER Filed Sept. 2, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ARVEJ.

INVENTOR.

l.- $HAVELE.

ATTOEN EYE,

July 2, 1957 Filed Sept. 2. 1955 A; L. SHAVER CARRIER FOR TOBACCOHARVESTER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

ARVEL. SHAVE-Z ATTo'RNEVs United States Patent Ofilice 2,797,822Patented July 2, 1957 CARRHER FER TOEACCQ HARVESTER Arvei L. Shaver,Lumberton, N. (1.

Application September 2, 1955, Serial No. 532,272

(Ilaims. (Cl. 2l4-S.5)

This invention relates to a carrier for transporting groups of tobaccoharvesters through fields of tobacco plants and has for its primaryobject to facilitate the rapid gathering of the tobacco leaves and thestringingof said leaves on sticks.

Another object is to facilitate the rapid attachment of the carrier ontoa conventional farm tractor having a power lift.

A further object is to carry croppers, i. e., persons who strip theleaves from the tobacco stalk, close to the ground along rows of tobaccoplants and to transport within easy reach of the croppers stringers, i.e., persons who tie the leaves together and place them on the tobaccosticks, so that a cropper may hand the leaves stripped from the plantsto an adjacent stringer.

Still another object is to support the loaded tobacco sticks on thecarrier so that the harvesting operation may be continued over anextended period of time.

A still further object is to improve the rapidity with which the pickingof tobacco progresses and to eliminate the discomforts experienced bythe pickers in conventional hand picking processes.

The above and other objects may be attained by employing this inventionwhich embodies among its features a bed frame carried by a tractor andextending beyond 0pposite ends thereof, columns carried by the bed frameand extending vertically upwardly therefrom adjacent opposite endsthereof, cross beams carried by the columns and extending transverselyacross and beyond opposite sides of the bed frame in vertically spacedrelation thereto, transversely spaced rails carried by the'cross beamsand extending parallel to the tractor above the top thereof on oppositesides of the bed frame, and crew supporting carriages carried by therails and depending therefrom adjacent opposite sides of the tractor forsupporting tobacco harvesting crews adjacent spaced rows of tobaccoplants.

Other features include holders for tobacco sticks carried by thecarriages and extending horizontally above the ground between the rowsof tobacco plants.

Still other features include a canopy carried by the cross beams andextending therebetween in upwardly spaced relation thereto, and tobaccostick supporting bars carried by the cross beams beneath the canopyvFurther other features include a crank shaft carried by the rearmostcross beam for rocking movement about a. transversely extendinghorizontal axis, a link connected to said crank shaft and to the powerlift of the tractor for rocking said crank shaft, crank arms carried bythe crank shaft and extending laterally outwardly therefrom adjacentopposite ends thereof, and flexible members connected to the rear end ofeach carriage and to the crank arms for elevating the carriages duringperiods of transportation or storage. i i

in the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of a tractor supported carrier embodying thefeatures of this invention;

Figure 2 is a front end view of the carrier showing it as it wouldappear in operation;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a forward carrier;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken substantially onthe line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line66 of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line7-7 of Figure 1;

Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of the rearmost carriers;

Figure 9 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially onthe line -9 of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line1010 of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a rear perspective view of the croppers seat used on thecarriage illustrated in Figure 4; and

Figure 12 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line12-12 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a conventional farm tractordesignated generally 10 carries adjacent its forward end a conventionalaxle 12 which is mounted on the tractor to rock about a horizontal axiswhich extends longitudinally below the tractor body, all in aconventional manner. Suspended from the rear axle housing 14 of thetractor 10 are plates 16 which project downwardly from said housingadjacent opposite ends thereof and carried by the tractor 1d andextending rearwardly from the rear end thereof is a power lift 13 ofconventional form.

Coupled as by inverted U-bolts 29 to the front axle 12 of the tractor l9and extending downwardly therefrom adjacent opposite ends thereof arebrackets 22 to which are welded or otherwise secured spaced parallellongitudinally extending girders 24 which, as illustrated in Figure I,extend longitudinally adjacent opposite sides of the tractor and beyondopposite ends thereof. The girders 24 are coupled to the plates 16carried by the rear axle housing 14 and define with transverselyextending cross members 26 and 26 a bed frame designated generally 28.

Carried by the front cross member 25 and extending vertically upwardlytherefrom adjacent opposite ends thereof are front columns 39 and 3d andcarried by the rear cross member 26' are verticall extending rearcolumns 32 and 32. Carried by the columns 3t and 30 and extendingtransversely therebetween and beyond opposite sides of the tractor it isa front beam designated 34. A rear beam 36 is carried by the columns 32and 32' and extends transversely therebetween and beyond opposite sidesof the tractor adjacent the upper ends of said columns 32 and 32, aswill be readily understood upon reference to Figure 3. Supported on thebeams 34 and 36 and extending longitudinally thereof are transverselyspaced parallel overhead rails 38, 4t 42 and 44. As illustrated inFigure 3, these rails extend in horizontally spaced relation to thetractor lb and beyond the rear end thereof to define supports for therear carriages, to be more fully hereinafter described. Secured to therear beam 36 and extending outwardly therefrom to the rear thereof aretransversely spaced bearing brackets 46 in which is mounted for rockingmovement about a horizontal axis a crank shaft 48 carrying adjacentopposite ends downwardly extending crank arms 50 and 52. A bifurcatedlever 54 (Fig. 2) is secured to the crank shaft 45% substantially midwaybetween opposite ends and pivotally connected as at 56 to the lever 54is a link 58, the lower end of which is pivotally connected to thetractor upwardly therefrom are uprights 60 supporting at their I upperends a canopy frame 62'to which is laced asat 64 a canopy 66 which issupported in upwardly spaced relationabove the rails 38, 40, 42 and 44,as will be readily understood upon reference to Figures 1 and 2.Supported-on the uprights 60 above and in vertically spaced relation tothe rails 38, 40, 42 and 44 are transversely spaced longitudinallyextending bars 68- carrying upwardly extending longitudinally spacedpairs of spaced lugs'7tl defining longitudinally spaced notches for thereception of filled tobacco sticks. Similar longitudinally spaced pairsof lugs 72 are carried by and extend upwardly from the rails 38, 40, 42and 44 to hold filled tobacco sticks in longitudinally spaced relationon the rails.

Carried by the rail 38 and extending downwardly therefrom intermediateits ends are longitudinally spaced brackets 74 and 74' and similarbrackets 76 and 76' are carried by the rails 40. Extending through thebrackets 74 and 76 adjacent the forward end of the carrier is a shaft'78, while a similar shaft 80 extends through the brackets 74 and 76'adjacent the rear end of the tractor 10. Carried by the rail 42 andextending downwardly therefrom intermediate its ends are longitudinallyspaced brackets 82 and 82' and similar brackets 84 and 84 are carried bythe rail 44. Extending through the brackets 82 and 84 adjacent theforward end of the carrier is a shaft 86 whilea similar shaft 88 iscarried by the brackets 82' and 84 adjacent the rear end of the tractor10. Carried by the shafts 78 and 80 adjacent the rail 38 andextending-downwardly from said shafts are bracket arms 90 and 90', andsimilar bracket arms 92 .and 92 are carried adjacent the rail 44 by theshafts 86 and 88, respectively.

Outer carriages designated generally 96 and 96, are provided and eachcomprises an inverted channel bar 98 which carries adjacent oppositeends upwardly extending legs 100 and 102 to which pairs of angle irons104 and 104" and 106 and 186 are respectively connected. The pairs ofangle irons define hangers 108 and 110, respectively, and extendingthrough the adjacent flanges 112 and 112 of the angle irons 104 and 184'are longitudinally spaced aligning openings 114 and 114, respectively.Similar aligning openings 116 and 116' extend through adjacent flangesof the angle irons 106 and 106, respectively. It is to be noted that bythe thus described structure the upper ends of the pairs of hangers 108and 110 of each of the carriages 96 and 96 are connected to the overheadrails 38 and 40 and rails 42 and 44 respectively, for pivotal movement.

A seat designated generally 11.8 comprises a saddle 120 carrying at itsback an upwardly extending block 122 to which is connected in verticallyspaced relation to the saddle 120 a back rest 124. The block 122 isprovided intermediate its ends with a transversely extending opening 126for the reception of a bolt 128 by means of which the seat 118 may besupported at a selected height on a hanger.

A similar seat designated generally 128 comprises a saddle 130 carryingan upwardly extending back strap 132 to which is connected adjacent itsupper end a back rest 134-. A curved rib 136 is carried by the backstrap 132 and extends outwardly therefrom, as illustrated in Figure 11,and extending through said rib 136 is a transversely' extending opening138 for the reception of a pivot bolt 140 by means of which the seat 128is pivotally supported between the adjacent flanges of the angle bars106 and 106 of a rear hanger 110, as will be readily understood uponreference to Figure 4. Extending through the rib 136 in upwardly spacedrelation to the opening 138 is an opening 142 to which is connected oneend of a flexible member 144, the opposite end of which is connected tothe supporting bar 98 of the carrier on which the seat 128 is supported.

Suspended on springs 144 and 146, and 144' and 146' carried by the rails40 and 42 adjacent the rear end of the tractor 10 are hangers 148 and150and 148' and 150' which extend downwardly from the rails 40 and 42and carry at their lower ends, an inverted channel iron 152 whichextends horizontally between the hangers 148 and 150. A similar channeliron 152 is carried by and extends between the lower ends of the hangers148' and 150'. A tread 154 is carried by the inverted channel iron 152and a similiar tread 154 is carried by the inverted channel iron 152. Asimilar tread 156 is carried by each inverted channel bar 98 and extendsbetween the legs and 102 of the channel bar 98. Yokes 158 and 160 arecarried by the upper ends of the hangers 148 and and extend upwardlyadjacent opposite sides of the rail 42, while similar yokes 158' and arecarried by the hangers 148' and 150' and extend upwardly adjacentopposite sides of the rail 40. Carried by and extending between adjacenttreads 154 and 154' is a platform 162.

A tobacco stick supportdesignated generally 164 comprises a block 166carrying adjacent its upper end a horizontally extending bracket arm 168which is provided with a longitudinal row of vertical openings 170 forthe reception of studs 172 by means of which a tubular socket member174-is adjustably supported on the bracket arm 168. The axis of thesocket member 174 extends transversely relative to the longitudinal axisof the bracket arm 168 and threadely entering the socket 174 through thetop thereof is a set screw 176, the purpose of which willhereinafterappear. A cylindrical arm 178 extends through the socket 174 and is heldin av selected position therein by the. set screw 176, and carried bythe arm 178 is a transversely extending tubular head 180 in which isslidably supported a bar 182 carrying at one end a socket member 184into which one of the tobacco stick S is adapted to be thrust, in orderto support the stick in a selected position. The block 166 is providedintermediate its ends with a transversely extending opening for thereception of a bolt 186 which is adapted to extend through slignedopenings 116 and 116, in the hangers 110 to support the tobacco sticksupport 164 at a selected height above the tread 156. As illustrated inthe drawings, the tobacco stick supports 164 are mounted in selectedpositions on the rearmost hangers of each carrier.

In use, it will be seen that the device is mounted on the carrier 10, aspreviously described, and the hangers 108 and 110 are mounted on theirrespective shafts'adjacent the rails 38 and 44m as to cause the treads156 thereof to pass between rows of standing tobacco plants. The seats118 are then secured to their respective rearmost hangers at selectedheights above their respective treads to define croppers seats which areoccupied by the operators who strip the ripened leaves from the tobaccoplants as the device progresses. The seats 118 carried by the rearmosthangers 150 and 150' are likewise adjusted to a selected height abovetheir treads 154 and 154' to accommodate another group of croppers.Seats 118 are mounted on the forward hangers of each pair of hangers148'and 148 and face rearwardly so that they overhang the treads 154 and154' so as to be within easy reach of the adjacent cropper. Sticksupports 164are connected to the rearmost hangers of each pair ofhangers at a selected height above the croppers seat so as to support atobacco stick S in a position to be used by the stringer in supportingthe stripped tobacco leaves. Obviously, if so desired, the platform 162may be dispensed with so that the treads 154 and 154 may pass betweenadjacent rows of standing tobacco plants to facilitate the stripping ofthe leaves therefrom. Obviously, the device, as presently disclosed, iscapable of carrying a crew of nine including the driver of the tractorand four groups, each comprising a cropper and a stringer. It is to beunderstood, however, that the device may be constructed to employ asmany pairs of croppers and stringers as may be desired. During periodsthat the carrier is being transported or stored, the power lift 18 ofthe tractor may be operated to elevate the link 58 and swing the crankshaft about its horizontal axis to move the crank arms 50 and 52upwardly, as suggested in the broken lines in Figure 1, so as to exertpull on the flexible members 59 and 52' which, being connected to therearmost hangers 110 adjacent the lower ends thereof, will cause thecarriages 96 to be elevated, as suggested by the broken lines inFigure 1. Simultaneously, with the elevation of the carriages 96, thecroppers seats 128 will be moved about their respective pivot bolts 140so as to avoid interference with their respective treads 156, suchmovement being controlled by the flexible members 144.

With croppers occupying the croppers seats and stringers occupying thestringers seats, it is obvious that as the tractor is advanced through afield of tobacco, it may be guided so that the seats 128 occupied by thecroppers will pass between the tobacco plants to enable the croppers togather the ripened leaves and hand them to the stringers in the stringerseats who place them on the tobacco sticks held in and adjacent support164. When a stick S becomes filled, it may be supported overhead on therails 38, 4t), 42 and 44, or on the bars 68 and the gathered tobaccowill be protected from direct sunlight by the canopy 66. By thusproviding the storage space above the heads of the crew, it is obviousthat frequent trips to the tobacco barns will be avoided. Obviously,when the device has to pass through relatively narrow gateways thecroppers and stringers will dismount so that the lift 18 may be operatedto move the treads 156 above the level of adjacent fence posts.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferredembodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that minor changesin the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A tractor supported carrier for transporting groups of tobaccoharvesters through fields of tobacco plants, said carrier comprising abed frame carried by a tractor and extending beyond opposite endsthereof, columns carried by the bed frame and extending verticallyupwardly therefrom adjacent opposite ends thereof, cross beams carriedby the columns and extending transversely across and beyond oppositesides of the bed frame in vertically spaced relation thereto, pairs oflongitudinally spaced hangers carried by the cross beams and extendingdownwardly therefrom on opposite sides of the bed frame, a platformcarried by and extending between each pair of hangers adjacent the lowerends thereof, tobacco harvesters seats carried by the hangers andextending outwardly therefrom above the platforms, holders for tobaccosticks carried by the rearmost hangers and extending forwardly therefromabove the seats, a crank member carried by the rearmost columns adjacenttheir upper ends for rocking movement in a Vertical arcuate path, a linkconnected to the crank and to the power lift, and a flexible memberconnected to the rearmost hanger of each pair of hangers and to thecrank member for moving the hangers and elevating the platforms.

2. A tractor supported carrier for transporting groups of tobaccoharvesters through fields of tobacco plants, said carrier comprising abed frame carried by a tractor and extending beyond opposite endsthereof, columns carried by the bed frame and extending verticallyupwardly therefrom adjacent opposite ends thereof, cross beams carriedby the columns and extending transversely across and beyond oppositesides of the bed frame in vertically spaced relation thereto, pairs oflongitudinally spaced hangers carried by the cross beams and extendingdownwardly therefrom on opposite sides of the bed frame, a platformcarried by and extending between each pair of hangers adjacent the lowerends thereof, tobacco harvesters seats carried by the hangers andextending outwardly therefrom above the platforms, holders for tobaccosticks carried by the rearmost hangers and extending forwardly therefromabove the seats, a crank member carried by the rearmost columns adjacenttheir upper ends for rocking movement in a vertical arcuate path, a linkconnected to the crank and to the power lift, a flexible memberconnected to the rearmost hanger of each pair of hangers and to thecrank member for moving the hangers and elevating the platforms, andmeans connected to the seat carried by the rearmost hanger of each pairof hangers and to the adjacent platform for tilting said seat as saidplatform is elevated.

3. A tractor supported carrier for transporting groups of tobaccoharvesters through fields of tobacco plants, said carrier comprising abed frame having a forward end and a rearward end and including aplurality of overhead rails extending longitudinally thereof andarranged in transverse spaced relation, a carriage positioned below eachof the outermost one and the next adjacent one of said rails adjacentthe forward ends thereof, each of said carriages having pairs oflongitudinally spaced hangers, a platform carried by and extendingbetween the pairs of hangers of each carriage adjacent the lower endsthereof, tobacco harvesters seats carried by the hangers of eachcarriage and extending outwardly therefrom above the platform, the upperends of said pairs of hangers of each carriage being pivotally connectedto the adjacent outermost one and next adjacent one of said rails, andmeans operatively connected to the rearmost pair of hangers of eachcarriage for moving the hangers and elevating the platform.

4. A tractor supported carrier for transporting groups of tobaccoharvesters through fields of tobacco plants, said carrier comprising abed frame having a forward end and a rearward end and including aplurality of overhead rails extending longitudinally thereof andarranged in transverse spaced relation, a carriage positioned below eachof the outermost one and the next adjacent one of said rails adjacentthe forward ends thereof, each of said carriages having pairs oflongitudinally spaced hangers, a platform carried by and extendingbetween the pairs of hangers of each carriage adjacent the lower endsthereof, tobacco harvesters seats carried by the hangers of eachcarriage and extending outwardly therefrom above the platform, the upperends of said pairs of hangers of each carriage being pivotally connectedto the adjacent outermost one and next adjacent one of said rails,another carriage positioned below a rail adjacent the outermost one ofsaid rails adjacent the rearward end thereof, said another carriagehaving pairs of longitudinally spaced hangers, a platform carried by andextending between the pairs. of hangers of said another carriage,tobacco harvesters seats carried by the hangers of said another carriageand extending outwardly therefrom above the platform, the upper ends ofsaid pairs of hangers of said another carriage being spring supportedfrom said adjacent rail, and means operatively connected to the rearmostpair of hangers of each of said first named carriages for moving thehangers and elevating the platform.

5. A tractor supported carrier for transporting groups of tobaccoharvesters through fields of tobacco plants, said carrier comprising abed frame having a forward end and a rearward end and including aplurality of overhead rails extending longitudinally thereof andarranged in transverse spaced relation, a carriage positioned below eachof-the outermost one andrthe next adjacent one of said=rails adjacentthe forward: ends thereof; each-of saidcarriages 'having pairs oflongitudinally spaced hangers,

a-platform carried by and extending between the pairs of hangers of eachcarriage adjacent the lower ends thereof, tobacco harvesters seatscarried by the hangers of each carriage and extending outwardlytherefrom above the platform, the upper ends of said pairs of hangers ofeach carriage being pivotally connected to 5 the elevating movement ofthe power lift.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,704,158 Long Mar. 15, 1955

